Fri Feb 28 14:40:27 UTC 2025: **Trinamool MP Moves Privilege Motion Against Jaishankar Over Deportation Claims**
New Delhi, Feb 28, 2025 – Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose has filed a privilege motion against External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, accusing him of providing misleading information regarding the treatment of Indians deported from the U.S.
Ms. Ghose alleges that despite Mr. Jaishankar’s February 6th assurance to the Rajya Sabha that deportees would not be mistreated, a subsequent flight on February 16th carried 116 individuals who were handcuffed and shackled. She cites testimonies from deportees detailing alleged mistreatment, including the forced removal and discarding of a Sikh man’s turban, inadequate and poorly prepared food, and extended periods of restraint.
Ms. Ghose argues that these accounts directly contradict the Minister’s statements and constitute a breach of privilege. She has requested that the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges for investigation. The deportees, primarily from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat, reportedly experienced conditions far worse than what the Minister had described.
First Piper 